Kaizer Chiefs will soon announce rightback Reeve Frosler as their new acquisition.
Frosler, who has six months left at current club Bidvest Wits, has penned a pre-contract deal for a long-term stay at Amakhosi.
Premier Soccer League (PSL) rules permit players who are in the final six months of their contracts to sign a pre-contract with a club of their choice.
The highly regarded defender from Port Elizabeth turns 21 on Friday and is seen as a starlet with the ability to fortify a leaky gold and black defence.
The rearguard has been a problematic area for Chiefs and they have already shipped in 13 goals at the 15-game halfway mark of the marathon season of 30 games.
Given that background, Frosler, whose contract at Wits ends in July, will be a welcome addition at Naturena Village.
Frosler has been sidelined from the first team at Wits after apparently refusing to take up an offer to travel for trials with a Portuguese team last year.
Wits were interested in sending Frosler - a product of their academy - to trial with Vitoria de Guimaraes, the club that bought Bongani Zungu from Mamelodi Sundowns in 2016.
Before travelling for trials, Wits also wanted Frosler to sign a four-year deal with them.
The Sunday Times has established that Frosler's representatives at Siyavuma Sports Group hit a brick wall when they asked pertinent questions about the planned trip.
In the end, the proposed trial was stillborn when Frosler showed disinterest.
In reaction, Wits banished him to train with the lower team in September. The interesting thing about Frosler's situation with Wits is that goalkeeper Darren Keet is in a similar a boat in terms of his contact coming to an end.
It somehow paints an Animal Farm-like picture of some players being more equal than others in the sense that, like Frosler, Keet has not shown interest in a new contract but, unlike the defender, the goalkeeper has not been relegated to train with juniors.
"There was a deal in July that Wits were keen to do which involved Reeve. When the club told his people that they've got trials for him in Portugal, they told the club that they had some questions about it."
After some toing and froing, nothing came of it and it eventually fell through.
"He is only 20 years old and is delighted to join a top club like Chiefs," said a source close to the player.
"Wait for the announcement to be done by his club. It should happen in the next coming days.
"Chiefs have had their issues in the last three seasons but a confident player like Frosler is keen to become part of the process of taking them back to the top and bringing back the glory days.
"I think they want to make a statement about it and didn't want the news of his signing to drown the hype of the build-up of the Chiefs-Sundowns game.
"That has been the main focus of the week for them."
Chiefs hosted reigning PSL champions Mamelodi Sundowns at the FNB Stadium yesterday afternoon.
Another source expressed dismay at the treatment meted out by Wits to Frosler.
"There is no difference between Grobler and Keet, who is also not renewing his contract, but the treatment is different.
"They basically bound him to the lower team, not even the MDC [Multichoice Diski Challenge].
"As things stand, the relations between his intermediary [Paul Mitchell] and the club are strained.
"Basically, you could say that he has been banned from the club.
"It has been a difficult time for the boy. The good thing about this whole saga is that he has signed a pre-contract with a South African club and that club is Kaizer Chiefs.
"They are a fantastic football club that likes to treat people the right way."
For their part, The Students have made three signings in the January transfer window. Attacker Sinethemba Dyantyi has come in from Free State Stars, who Wits hosted at the Bidvest Stadium last night.
The Clever Boys have also raided the National First Division (NFD) to add two more acquisitions in the form of Ajax Cape Town duo, striker Prince Nxumalo and goalkeeper Brandon Peterson. Peterson is seen as a replacement for Keet should he end up leaving the club.
Zimbabwean international forward Charlton Mashumba has joined Polokwane City from NFD outfit Jomo Cosmos.
Elsewhere, relegation-threatened Chippa United are left with only 19 players on their books after releasing 13.
Among those exiting United, who lost 1-0 to Bloemfontein Celtic on Friday night, are Thabo Nthethe, Jabulani Shongwe, James Okuosa, and Thato Mokeke...